Concert Scene: Something for every musical taste

Wednesday

Columnist Marty Franzen highlights band The Darkness and other acts playing in the area this week

What kind of music do you like? Broadway, metal, soft rock, R&B? Those and more are featured among this week’s concerts.

The Darkness is a good example of how the music business works. A band can be on top one year and broken up a short time later. Some even get second chances. The Darkness, which appears Wednesday at the Trocadero, at 1003 Arch St., Philadelphia, has been all three of those.

Formed in England in 2000, the pop-metal band watched its debut album “Permission to Land” (2003) go quadruple platinum at home. Those sales propelled the group to arena performances across America and two more albums.

Unfortunately, leader Justin Hawkins fell victim to alcoholism, and another band member quickly tired of the touring lifestyle. By 2006, The Darkness had split up, forming two new bands — Stone Gods and Hot Leg. But as these stories sometimes go, The Darkness re-formed in 2011 to record again. Last year, the group released “Pinewood Smile,” another collection of Led Zeppelin-meets-Queen styled rockers with the occasional ballad tossed in.

Joining the band on drums is Rufus Tiger Taylor, son of Queen drummer Roger Taylor. In concert Wednesday, the group should play 17 songs, including eight from the debut disc and five from the new one, possibly featuring “All The Pretty Girls,” “Solid Gold,” “Happiness” and “Stampede of Love.”

Show time is 8. Tickets are $25-$30. Call 215-922-LIVE.

RITA COOLIDGE

You know you are somebody when an artist writes a song about you. Rita Coolidge, who appears Sunday at the World Café Live, at 3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, was a big “somebody” back in the 1970s.

She had sung backup for Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Harry Chapin, Leon Russell and Graham Nash, among others. Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett had discovered Coolidge and took her on tour with them. Some blame her affairs with two of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for that group’s breakup.

But it was Leon Russell who wrote the song “Delta Lady” about her, and both he and Joe Cocker had minor hits with the tune. After that, Coolidge went solo, recording the soft-rock hits “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher,” “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “You.” Eventually, she met and married singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, with whom she earned two Grammy Awards.

Some 40 years after those big hits, Coolidge returns May 4 with the new album, “Safe in the Arms of Time.” The CD features the songs “Satisfied,” “Spirit World,” “Rainbow,” “We are Blood” and “You Can Fall in Love,” many of which should be showcased Sunday night.

Coolidge has been known to cover most of her charts hits live, so fans also should get to hear “Fever,” “All Time High” and Loving Arms.”

Show time is 8. Tickets are $38-$48. Call 215-222-1400.

JASON ALEXANDER

You may wonder why TV comedy star Jason Alexander merits coverage in a music column. Officially, he has no album releases of his own, but you can hear him on discs by Kristin Chenoweth and Liza Minnelli.

He also sings on the soundtracks to “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Bye Bye Birdie.” And if that isn’t enough, he won a Tony Award for his Broadway performance in “Jerome Robbins’ Broadway” and turned heads in the cast of “The Producers” with Martin Short. For specials, he has been known to cover comedy songs penned by the late Allan Sherman.

Of course, you know him more for his turn as George Costanza on “Seinfeld,” or his guest appearances on “Star Trek Voyager,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Friends,” “Monk” and “Criminal Minds.” Along the way, he has accumulated six Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nods. To date he has appeared in (or voiced a character in) 44 movies.

For his show Saturday night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, at 1 Center St., Newark, expect a lot of Broadway songs, mixed with some comedy patter.

Show time is 8. Tickets are $20-$95. Call 888-466-5722.

PHILLY SPRING JAM

The Philly Spring Jam has become an annual event at Temple University, gathering a handful of R&B stars for one big show at the Liacouras Center, at 1776 S. Broad St., Philadelphia. This year’s lineup on Friday is headlined by Guy, famous for the 1980s-90s hits “Dancin’,” “Let’s Chill,” “I Wanna Get With You” and “My Fantasy.”

Teddy Riley was a member of Guy, Kids at Work and BLACKstreet, so expect to hear songs from those groups plus his duets “Party Ain’t a Party,” “Freak Out” and “Man Behind the Music” during his time slot. Brandy will have to pick and choose among her many hits, which include “The Boy is Mine,” “Have You Ever?,” “Sittin’ Up in My Room,” “I Wanna be Down” and “Baby.”

Also on the bill is Washington’s Ginuwine, who should sing “Differences,” “I Need a Girl” and the platinum single “Pony.” 112 earned gold singles for “Love Me” and “Only You” in the 1990s and a platinum disc for “Cupid.” Rounding out the lineup is Tank, which charted in 2001 with “Maybe I Deserve.”